8/20/2004 @ 7:00AM

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

“I don’t mind how much my ministers talk,” Baroness Margaret Thatcher once said, “as long as they do what I say.” The former British prime minister long ago defied the conventional wisdom that women can gain power only by studiously working behind the scenes to forge consensus. That’s why she and 99 other leaders in politics, business and social causes have made it to our first ever ranking of the world’s most powerful women.More…–With research by Cecily Fluke, Lesley Kump and Deron Browne.Sort List By:Rank |Name |Occupation |Age |Country